Multiple Choice
by A. X. Zanier
Summary: The Invisible Man Altiverse Future Timeline Part of the Original A. S. Series
1. Chapter 1

Author: A. X. Zanier  
Rating: R (language, violence, adult situations)   
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or basic story ideas to "The Invisible Man." Any additional characters or ideas are mine.   
Timeline: Approx. 10 years after "Family Matters"   
Spoilers: Urf, probably. Both of the ficish kind and season 1 of the show.   
Comments: This is the story alluded to in "Of Monuments and Miracles" and it was requested of me to actually write out exactly what happened.  
  
A big honking thanks to Rebecca(WorkerCaste) my brave Beta reader. Without her my stories would be one large run-on sentence.  
  
Multiple Choice  
  
// You can choose a ready guide  
In some celestial voice  
If you choose not to decide  
You still have made a choice  
You can choose from phantom fears  
and kindness that can kill  
I will choose a path that's clear  
I will choose free will.  
-- RUSH, Free Will  
  
  
Sometimes the path, even when laid out in its multitude of forms, is never as clear as one would hope. Sometimes the only choice is the one you can't be shown. //  
  
  
The darkness was a thick, choking presence, keeping the scream of pain, anger, and despair trapped within. There was nothing to see of the room, just the images that ran unstoppably, over and over again. Heart pounding. Breath rasping harshly, painfully into starved lungs. Quicksilver wanting to flow, out of a near desperate need of self-preservation. A need that was too late. An attempt to prevent the inevitable that had not yet happened.  
  
Hands came up to offer comfort, to help calm the raging adrenaline that threatened to overrun the only semi-conscious system. Causing pain and heartache instead of easing the fear and sadness that so wanted to overwhelm the mind and body.  
  
A voice could be heard. A voice from outside the sequence of events that paraded through the exhausted mind. A voice that was out of context and therefore did not register correctly at first. It was several long moments before reality, the one belonging to the here and now and not the one of the mind, not of the potentials that might be, even began to take its proper place.  
  
"Alyx, talk to me." Pulling the shaking and crying woman close to him, he tried to get her to focus. This was not the first time that this had happened in recent weeks, and it was getting more and more difficult to get her to reconnect with reality. It was really beginning to frighten him.  
  
"S...s...sorry," she stuttered out, trying and failing to control the tears that were flowing down her cheeks.  
  
Darien shook his head and rested his chin atop her head. "Hush. Try and calm down. Your heart is racing."  
  
She gulped in mouthfuls of air, trying to convince her still-divided perceptions that the man holding her close was the true reality, and that the dream was nothing more than that. Just another dream. She stared out into the darkened room, her eyes finally deciding to focus on what was before her. She shook again, shuddering almost violently in his gentle hold. She knew this dream, like the others she'd been having, was anything but just another dream, but until now she had been unwilling to admit it, even to herself.  
  
When she was finally something resembling calm -- he was more than able to pick up what she was feeling after all these years -- he shifted her so that he could look her in the eye. Running one hand along her face, he said, "Tell me. I know you remember them and this is not the is first time you've had this dream."  
  
She looked at him, not wanting to even think about it, but knowing it was past time she tried to talk to him. He would need to know, and maybe he'd be able to help her understand. "It's... I..." She took a slow, deep breath to keep herself centered and calm. It was so easy to fall back into the panic and fear the dream dragged her into. "There are several, actually. All revolving around the same theme, but with different outcomes. I'm not sure which one frightens me most."  
  
"At a guess, this one," Darien said with a hint of amusement. He was not trying to make light of the seriousness of the dreams, just trying to get her to relax a bit more. To perhaps see things from a different perspective. He knew it was sometimes difficult for her to dissociate herself from her dreams because of the way her memory worked. There had even been problems in the past where she had gotten trapped in them, though that had been partially due to outside influences.  
  
She shook her head. "No, in some ways this is the best of them." It was true enough, even if it did leave her body aching with phantom pain and her heart aching with a bone-deep sadness. "I hate the damn quicksilver dreams."  
  
"Ah, hell," was Darien's comment. He had spent more than enough years living with them himself to know exactly what a pain in the ass they were. "What this time?"  
  
She closed her eyes. "A cusp, and there are so many different paths. So many choices that I'm being shown... I don't want the responsibility. I put enough on my shoulders without some nebulous outside influence adding to it." She had spent the last decade turning the Agency into a force to be reckoned with, a power that did its best to keep the world as safe a place as possible. Once she had been given the position as the Official and granted the funding it truly deserved, she had, in many ways, taken the dreams of Kevin Fawkes and Charlie Borden and made them as much of a reality as she could. The last few years had been exceedingly hard, as it seemed to become an active war to counter the few major troublemakers left. Even for the talented folks at the Agency, there was only so much they could do. They were still human after all.  
  
"Why me? Haven't I put up with enough by now? Haven't I sacrificed huge portions of my life, time and time again, for that damn 'greater good'?" She sounded frustrated and unhappy, something she hadn't felt this deeply for a long, long time. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't know if I can do it."  
  
Somewhere in her rant Darien understood just enough of what she was talking about, and it scared him. "So quit. Pass the torch to Dani or Manda. They are both more than capable." The look on her face spoke volumes, and he knew that it was not a viable option. "Then how can I help?"  
  
"I don't know that you can." She closed her eyes and leaned against him, wanting him to chase away the dreams, to hold back her decision, to make it unnecessary.  
  
"I trust you in everything. You'll do what's best, as always." He wrapped his arms about her, hoping that she believed him.  
  
"Dare, I know I promised never to ask this again, but why did you stay? Why didn't you have the gland removed and leave as soon as you knew?" Alyx wasn't entirely sure why she was asking this, but had an odd feeling it would help in her own decision.  
  
Darien thought about her question for a long moment, and decided that at this point it would do no harm to tell her. Nevertheless, he chose a roundabout route to answer her. "What would you have done if I had gone ahead and had it removed? Would you have still spent time with me? Or would you have stayed away to protect me? Like your kids."  
  
Alyx froze. "How could you know that?" Her voice was hushed, astonished. She had kept that bit of information locked tightly within herself, not wanting to influence his choice, his chance at the freedom he so longed for, in any way. She pulled away so that she could look at him. She, they had changed so little over the years, it seemed, and what changes had occurred were more than well-earned. She would never regret a moment of the time they had spent together, would never regret when hope and the wish to live had returned to her life, would never regret a single day, even the ones that had caused both of them pain.  
  
He actually chuckled. "I started to have a dream a few weeks before Claire told me. And then every damn night until I finally told her 'no'. It gave me a taste of what my life would have been like without you, what would have happened to you without me there." He tipped his head down and drew random patterns on the back of her hand that lay on the bed. "Even Bobby couldn't protect you."  
  
Alyx was feeling stunned. "What did you see?"  
  
Darien rubbed a hand across his face. He had never allowed himself to forget that dream and everything that followed it. So many things that could have turned out differently. So many ways his life could have been affected by making one small change, by walking away from the Agency. "Remember the incident about six months before we got married? We stumbled on a hostage situation involving a bunch of grade school kids?"  
  
Alyx nodded. "But that was like five years after you knew we had solved the problem."  
  
"I know. In my dream, it was just you and Bobby who tried to resolve the situation, and you took a bullet to protect him." Darien lifted one of her hands and held it tightly. "You survived, but didn't really want to, so they called me to try and help. To try and give you a reason to live, much like you once did for me." He lifted his head to meet her eyes. "When the time came, I just couldn't leave and let you throw everything away. I... You..." He stopped, unsure how to put it into words. "It was the right choice, and it didn't take more than a day for me to realize it once I had finally decided."  
  
"Darien, I'm not sure what to say. You gave up the freedom you longed for, for me?" Once again he had managed to surprise her. No matter how close they had become he was still able to do or say things that caught her off guard and taught her something new about him.  
  
"No, I just learned that I wasn't trapped any more," he said to her. "Does this help you?"  
  
"Help? I don't know how anything can help." Alyx just barely kept herself in control. She wanted to wail her confusion and despair to him, but knew it wouldn't do anything to solve the problem. She had to do that by herself. "I'm not ready for this."  
  
Darien wanted to take away the pain and resignation he saw in her eyes, but how? "Maybe it's just a dream. It's happened before."  
  
"Maybe," she muttered, not wanting to grasp onto what might be an ephemeral hope. "But if it's not, if it's one of those stupid things that will happen, I want..."  
  
He stopped her with a finger on her lips. "We'll deal with it when the time comes, and not before."  
  
She moved his hand away. "You have no idea what is coming. What I might be forced to do. What could happen if I do the wrong thing."  
  
He pulled her closer, knowing that just being here would help, would calm her, would help her push the dreams and memories back into that corner of her mind where they belonged. "It doesn't matter. It hasn't happened yet, and may never. You're here now, and I want to see you smile." His hands began a slow exploration of her body in hopes of distracting her mind, and he felt her relax beneath his touch.  
  
It was but moments later when her lips sought and found his, willing for the moment to just fall, to revel in the pleasure and joy only he could bring to her. It wasn't until much later that Darien realized he had never actually succeeded in making her smile.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
--- A week later---  
  
  
Alyx stood at the head of the conference table in the room next to her office, where she had chosen to spread out her work today. She was reviewing some candidates for possible gland implantation. So many people actually vied for the opportunity to join the ranks of the Agency these days, now that it was no longer considered the welfare child of the intelligence community. The Agency had been a minor-league institution, where people staggered along in hopes of getting noticed one more time before total obscurity buried them forever and they retired washed up and forgotten. Now people actually came here by choice, looking to advance their careers by spending a year or two in their exalted ranks.  
  
While Alyx hated the tendency for high turnover, they had found that six months was the ideal term of service for those who volunteered to be I-Men. They had tried longer terms for agents willing to go through with the implantation, but had run into problems, including agents who were unwilling to go without the gland -- an addiction to being able to quicksilver as opposed to the quicksilver itself -- and agents who were kidnapped in hopes of revealing the secrets of its design. She was trying to arrange it so candidates worked with current I-Men for a while, so they truly understood what they were getting into, before being implanted themselves. Once the gland had dissolved, they were then required to help train the next group, a minimum two year commitment to the Agency. It was a commitment some were reluctant to make; there were those who just wanted a bit of quick glory before getting on with their real career, with a remarkable addition to their resumes. Alyx had to try and weed those out before they got in the door.  
  
That didn't even cover a fraction of the work she did. Although she did delegate to those with more experience when she could, she still had to oversee pretty much the entire running of the Agency. From budgets to assignments, she made sure she knew what was going on and tried to keep things running as smoothly as she could. It wasn't easy. In the last few years, she had spent nearly as much time in the field as she had behind her desk. Not that she had ever completely retired from field work. In spite of her position, or perhaps because of it, during the first few months after she was put in charge she had gone out into the field nearly as often as before. It had taken time for her to realize that she had to give assignments to green agents, that she couldn't be there every time, that she couldn't be everything to everyone. The first time she sent agents out -- including one very new I-Man -- and there had been deaths, it had hurt, but she endured. The mission had been a risk, they had known that going into it, and yet not one of them had backed down. They had done the job and saved lives, even as they lost their own.  
  
Some days she wondered why she had chosen to take on this responsibility. And then she would remember some of the others who had been the Official over the years and knew it was for the best. She tried to get to know all of her agents and did her best to pair or group them in complementary ways, to use them to the best of their abilities. She tried to make sure they always had the highest possible chance of success and, unless the situation was truly desperate, would not send agents into a no-win situation.  
  
The last couple of years had been increasingly difficult, and she found herself forced into the field more and more often as resources ran low. There had even been occasions where her unique talents were the only way to get or do what was needed. In some ways it made her even better liked among those she oversaw. The fact that she was more than willing to risk her life to do the same job they did, right by their sides when necessary, said more than any bonus or raise ever could. She had spent so many years working for the Agency that she didn't really see herself as above everyone else. She was simply the leader among an amazing group of talented individuals, gifted or not. For many other agencies, it would not have worked, but here, in these times, it did.  
  
Dani and Rose burst into the room then, and Alyx lifted her eyes from the computer display to look at them. They were radiating a combination of excitement and fear.  
  
"Mom... Boss... Damn I'll never get that right," Rose began only to be cut off by Dani.  
  
"We've got a lead, and we think we can grab all the intel and expose them finally," Dani said, with some irritation at her sister.  
  
Alyx just tilted her head to the side. "I know you guys have been working on some big project on your own. Care to actually fill me in?"  
  
Rose smiled. "Chrysalis. We got tired of just blocking their moves. We know where to get the proof to expose them."  
  
Alyx just raised an eyebrow. Chrysalis had been a pain in the ass forever, it seemed, and those at the Agency knew they were the instigators of some major problems the world had been dealing with for decades. The problem was proof. Discovering and countering individual plots they had managed to do since back when Darien had still been an agent. Heck, the antagonism between Chrysalis and the Agency went back to before Alyx had ever shown up. There had been a couple of years when not much was heard from them, and she had to admit it had been a far more peaceful time without them. It was that 'plutonium' incident that had rekindled the conflict, and it hadn't stopped since. Tracking down and countering their little EMP plan had been sheer hell, combined with pure terror at times. Things had gotten scarier from there, and now... now two of her kids, two of her best agents, were telling her they could take them down in one fell swoop. She was finding it more than a little hard to believe.  
  
"Explain. Slowly and concisely," Alyx said to them. Here in the office, at work, unless the situation dictated otherwise, she was the boss first and mom second. It had to be that way. Both of the women before her pulled out computer pads and began sending information into the computer system built into the table before her. She looked over the multiple data streams, as well as the graphics that appeared, and was impressed. "All right. How did you manage this?"  
  
Rose laughed. "You will appreciate the irony of this one. We've known about this location for ages, as you know."  
  
Alyx nodded. They'd been watching the place for over a year, but hadn't been able to get in. Chrysalis had adapted well to the changes and advances the Agency had made over the years and because of the power they wielded over a variety of government officials had been forced to keep their knowledge as quiet as possible or risk being shut down. Chrysalis had always remained just one short step ahead of them. Until now.  
  
"Your 'Destiny' program got us in," Dani interjected, not wanting to draw out the suspense. This was too important.  
  
Alyx burst out laughing. "That thing? It was outdated two years after I wrote it, thanks to Patrick."  
  
Rose chuckled as well. "We know. Jase made some adaptations for current tech and we decided to try it, just for the hell of it."  
  
"We were very surprised when it not only worked, but went completely unnoticed by their AI system." Dani was pacing now, her excitement at this chance overriding the fear. "Their system is damn good and damn adaptable, so we didn't risk more than two entries. We did learn that we can't download the intel, but we do know it's there."  
  
"We just have to get in to get it." Rose added with barely restrained glee.  
  
Alyx had to close her eyes as the sudden image of Rose lying near death thrust itself into her mind. Her own hands were covered in her daughter's blood, as well as her own, though her personal injuries were minor in comparison. That image fled, to be replaced with one of Dani captured and tortured by men of Chrysalis, her child -- child? -- to become a tool for an even more powerful enemy.  
  
It was Rose who realized something was wrong. Rose who had the same talent as Alyx, though not as strong. She moved to her side and set a hand on Alyx's shoulder. "Mom?"  
  
Alyx opened her eyes and looked up at her daughter, noting the concern that was expressed on her face, coming across through her touch. "I'm fine," she said quietly. Then she turned to Dani. "Were you planning on telling me you were pregnant, or just waiting till the birth announcement?"  
  
Rose's surprise was only surpassed by Dani's look of dumbfounded astonishment. Rose laughed. "Well, this would explain your weird cravings for all things Mexican lately. Have you told that wayward husband of yours yet?" Having already had one of her own, Rose felt more than justified in teasing her older sister, who was apparently working on catching up with Alyx herself in number.  
  
Dani shook her head. "I just found out myself. I haven't figured out how to tell Tom yet. We hadn't planned on another one this soon."  
  
Alyx blinked, not really believing it herself. "Talk to Laura, you'll be a big help to her." Laura was Chris's wife, and they had announced she was expecting their first just a few weeks ago. The fact that both Laura and now Dani were pregnant helped make her decision on the Chrysalis matter. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I want a full meeting first thing tomorrow. Everyone, including as many I-Men as are available. I have the feeling we'll need them."  
  
"Mom? Are you sure?" Rose had picked up just enough to realize this decision was very difficult.  
  
"It's now or never. I would prefer my grandchildren grew up never knowing Chrysalis ever existed. If we can stop them now, we take the chance." Alyx's voice was hard. She meant every word and she planned on doing whatever was necessary to achieve this goal. "I want your ideas ready for the morning. We will not waste any time on this matter."  
  
She got to her feet and walked over to Dani. For a moment, she was nothing more than 'Mom.' "Never regret it," she said as she hugged her oldest child. "I never did."  
  
"We know." Dani hugged her back, once again having trouble remembering that the tiny woman before her was her mother.  
  
Alyx stepped back, once again becoming the boss. "Move, you two. We have work to do."  
  
* 


	2. Chapter 2

*  
  
Watching Darien sleep was always a pleasure for her. Considering how little she herself slept, she tended to do it vicariously through him instead. And how he enjoyed it. She stood in the doorway of the den, just looking over his relaxed countenance, wishing she was as capable of drifting off into a peaceful slumber, just because.  
  
She knew he was working tonight. He, along with two others, were going to test the security of the Brambaugh building downtown. In other words, he legally got to break into places and then reveal to the owners how he did it. Not quite the same as being a thief or a secret agent, but he had found it fun and he was very, very good at his job. There had even been occasions where she had joined him, enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to work with him again. She missed it. In the last twenty or so years they had spent so much more time apart than together. Sometimes she thought she should have told the review committee to sod off a decade ago and gone to work with him, instead of ending up where she was now.  
  
But, no. No dreams warning her back then. Hindsight being twenty-twenty and all that crap. There were so many things she would have changed, so many mistakes she would have avoided, so much time she would not have wasted.  
  
She shook her head. This was not helping any. Nothing was set in stone, yet. Her dreams were still just dreams, and she intended to keep them that way, somehow. She did not want to have to make this choice, but it was looking like she was swiftly being backed into a corner with nowhere to go.  
  
Forcing herself into motion, she knelt down on the floor beside Darien, leaned over, and kissed him. As usual, it was an effective method of waking him. One of his hands came up and buried itself in her hair, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. One of her hands began to wander across his stomach and chest enjoying the feel of the muscles he put so much effort into maintaining. Considering he was in his sixties, he was in amazing shape. He looked in his forties at most, and she looked even younger. Quicksilver had some odd benefits -- well, the original version did, anyway. Genetics was also a big part of the reason. Her genetics to be precise.  
  
When she pulled away to look at him, to watch him open his eyes and smile at her, she found herself saddened for some reason. He had been right to get out of the business, to drop that responsibility he had never wanted, had never felt comfortable with. To make his own way in the world. Alyx wished she'd had the opportunity, but, as she had learned over the years, this was what she had been designed for, trained for in some ways. Maybe if things had gone as originally planned, she would have been more comfortable with the work, with her abilities. She mentally shook herself. What was the quote? 'We are the sum of our experiences'? And now here she was, wishing that things were different. This situation had to be resolved; it was causing too much stress, too much confusion in her life.  
  
During her long moment of reflection, the smile faded from Darien's face, to be replaced with concern. It made her feel guilty. "Sorry, Dare. I should have let you sleep." She got to her feet and backed away, even as he shifted to sit up. "You have to work later."  
  
"Alyx," was all he got out before she fled. "It's been postponed," he said to the now-empty room. "Damn it." He got to his feet and followed her, wondering what the hell had happened now. He'd come home and decided to take a nap, even though the Brambaugh job had been delayed a couple of days. The building's computer system had chosen to crash, and therefore there was no real security to test. They expected to have it running in a couple of days, so they would do the job then. Not a big deal.  
  
He liked it when Alyx woke him up, and had purposefully laid down in hopes she would get the chance to. It hadn't worked quite the way he had planned. Searching the house, he finally found her huddled on the floor of their shower, arms wrapped about her knees, looking pitiful. Sliding open the door, he stepped in and shivered as the cold water struck him. Squatting down before her, he ran a hand across the back of her head, through the wet hair that, once again, reminded him of darkening blood.  
  
"Talk to me."  
  
She shivered. "They found a way to get Chrysalis. To expose them." She lifted her head to look at him. "But how can I let them, any of them?"  
  
She was confusing him. How could she *not* take the chance to stop Chrysalis once and for all? Then he realized. "Your dreams. This is it?"  
  
"Even the best of them, the most successful path I've been shown, the cost is too high. How do I choose which one dies?" Her voice was flat, carefully controlled, trying to keep the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her locked away.  
  
"Forget the dreams for a moment." When she opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Think. What would you do differently from any other important mission?"  
  
Alyx swallowed hard, trying to do as he suggested. "I... I would get the intel necessary and make the best plan that guaranteed the greatest chance of success."  
  
It was his turn to nod. "Just like always. You've been reacting because of the dreams. You can't let them control the situation, no matter who it affects." He picked up one of her hands and entwined their fingers. "You taught me that. They are 'maybes' and nothing more."  
  
She knew he was right. If it had been a group of strangers, or even just more common agents, she would have looked upon the dreams as just extra intel. But because it involved her kids, she was allowing her emotions to get too involved. She wasn't thinking, not like the intelligent woman she was, but merely reacting, as a mother frightened of losing her children and unsure how to protect them. Yes, even now with all of them grown, she still did her best to protect them. It was simply part of who she was. It was part of the reason the Agency had become what it was today. Everyone who worked for her had become family of sorts, and she treated them as such.  
  
"But they don't know. They haven't seen what's coming. How can I not try and do something?" Alyx said to him, hoping he would have more pieces of learned wisdom to share.  
  
"Would knowing the possible truth stop them? Any of them?" he asked her. He didn't try to hide his relief that she was trying to think rationally about this. He was no more willing to sacrifice any of the kids than she, but he knew that there were times when a piece had to be sacrificed for game to be won. Maybe he shouldn't have taken up chess in recent years; he was actually making sense even to himself.  
  
"Damn." She sounded both resigned and relieved. "You're right. They're no different than me. I'd do the same in a heartbeat." She really looked at him then, glad that he was willing to put up with her foolishness, and chuckled at the image he presented. His wet hair was hanging in his eyes, and he was, of all things, still dressed. "You are a fool. Your clothes are soaked through."  
  
He laughed as well and helped her to her feet. "Gives me a good reason to take them off now, doesn't it?" He reached over and adjusted the water temperature, warming it and easing the shivers that had begun to wrack her body.  
  
"You have to get to work," she protested weakly, as he began to strip off the wet T-shirt.  
  
"If you had listened to me instead of running, you would know the job has been postponed." He tried to peel off the jeans he was wearing, but found it difficult. Wet denim was never easy to remove. "I was napping in hopes you'd wake me up." His look was mischievous and Alyx had to smile.  
  
"Ah, then perhaps I should make up for my less than successful attempt." She added her hands to the effort of removing the jeans, but it took several long minutes before they were successful. By that time, other things had come up.  
  
He groaned at what her hands were doing, but wanted to say something else before he became completely involved with other things. "Alyx, I know it's difficult..."  
  
"Hard," she said with a grin. "Very hard."  
  
He certainly couldn't argue with her statement and he was swiftly losing the battle against distraction. She -- what she was doing -- was becoming what he wanted and needed to focus on. She leaned closer to lick the water off of his chest, leaving a trail that was even hotter than the water itself. "Ah, ummm... What was I saying?"  
  
"Nothing of importance," she said as her lips moved across his collar bone. *You said everything already.*  
  
"Oh, good. I really don't want to think right now." His hands had moved from where they'd been resting on her shoulders, one sliding lower to capture and caress her breasts. The other curved about her neck, cupping the back of her head and drawing her into a kiss. He bit her lower lip and she opened her mouth in response. Moaning her need into his, her tongue moving to glide across his lips and then his teeth. Seeking contact that was both familiar and yet ever changing.  
  
She had intentionally left the contact between them open, something she rarely did, something that always drove him to an even more desperate need for her. This time, she was the one who needed the contact, the steady confidence he had in her. The firm belief that he knew she would do the right thing no matter what the situation. He could feel the fright that still lay roiling beneath the surface of her mind, so he tried to do his best not only to arouse her, but to chase it away.  
  
By the time the water had begun to cool, encouraging them to take their play elsewhere, he knew he'd been successful. For now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When the phone rang, Alyx was sitting at the dining room table eating the late meal they had thrown together. She had tossed on a beat up pair of jeans and one of Darien's old T-shirts. She wanted nothing more than to relax and schlep about for the evening, and Darien had agreed, dressing similarly. "Receive," she said to the room, "with visual."  
  
At the far end of the table, the image of Ben appeared with a grin on his face. "My lord, did you actually take a day off, Mom?"  
  
Technology had never stopped moving forward, especially with her and Darien's family connections, so they were the proud owners of a top-of-the-line video imaging system, as were other members of the family. It made long-distance communication less of a chore. It was damn close to speaking in person, the images were so real.  
  
Darien walked into the room then, carrying more food. "Nah, I just got her to relax for the first time in weeks," he said to the image. "Whatcha need?"  
  
"Need?" Ben said in mock dismay. "Do I really have to need something to call you?"  
  
"Of course not, Ben. Just ignore your father; his job got postponed, so he's suffering withdrawal." That got a wry chuckle and a grin from the man in question as he sat down next to her.  
  
Ben smiled. He knew his father more than well enough to understand that his mom was joking, but only to a point. His dad was at his best, his happiest, when in the throes of planning his next big adventure. For all that he was one of the most relaxed people Ben had ever known, he also craved excitement, the next thrill, the rush of accomplishing the impossible. It was one of the reasons he had survived being an agent for so long. He had learned to channel that energy into the work, even if the fit was not perfect. And now, now he got to do what he loved -- planning and executing the perfect crime -- and do it all legally. It was wonderful to do a job you loved, as Ben well knew.  
  
His mom... his mom was, in many ways, the perfect match for his father. She had tamed the wild heart Darien followed, not by caging it, but by accepting it and allowing it to develop, to take that next step beyond self-centered irresponsibility. She had followed her own heart by following his. In many ways, by their forced meeting, they had saved each other. Ben had spoken to both Bobby and Claire over the years about his parents, and it was from them, as well as from his own talents, that he pieced all this together. Both Bobby and Claire had insights into his parents that made them even more amazing, to his way of thinking.  
  
They had all endured and survived so much through the years, from long-term separations to near-death experiences. From the madness of the original gland to the deep programming that his mother still had to deal with. Torture, injuries of the more common types, loss of friends, new enemies, old wounds. Despite it all, they were still together and had prospered.  
  
"I spoke to Ari and Zoe yesterday, and thought I'd just call to say 'hi' since it's been a few weeks," Ben finally said to them. "They're looking forward to graduating. They tell me they're still battling for Valedictorian."  
  
Alyx laughed. "No surprise there. It may be the first time that school will have to award it to two people."  
  
Darien shook his head. "You'd think, after all this time, they would be a little less competitive."  
  
"Dad, it's not so much competition as just being who they are. They are, in many ways, still the same, even if their career-choice paths did diverge along the way," Ben commented.  
  
"I think they only did that to save time. They still share information exactly the same. I think they're each planning for a double Ph.D. We know they can each pass the others' exams, they just need original work for their dissertations." Alyx was grinning knowing how very true her statement was.  
  
"Thankfully we raised them honest, or there would have been so much trouble," Darien spoke around a mouthful of food. After swallowing, he continued. "You have no idea how many times I wished I had an identical twin as a kid. Let him take the Trig test while I stole the Lit exam." He sighed wistfully.  
  
Alyx laughed, not the least surprised at him and his past dreams. "Wait till I put them to work. 'Confusion to the enemy' will become the Agency's motto."  
  
Ben laughed with them for a few minutes, then sobered a bit as the real reason for his call pressed at his conscience. "Mom, I just got back from visiting Bethany."  
  
Alyx nodded. Bethany was one of Piotr's daughters, whom Ben had been 'seeing' for several years. They had not yet formalized the relationship, but it didn't matter as long as they were happy. Piotr had stepped down from the position of 'king' and turned over the reins to his eldest daughter Marina about five years ago. Not that she was a queen. She was the president of the country now, having slowly changed the government over the years into a modified democracy. That had been Piotr's goal from the start, and he was more than pleased to have seen the results happen in his lifetime. Thanks to Alyx and the Agency, he had been able to keep his small country relatively free of some of the problems that had affected the world over the years. Alyx had always felt it was the least she could do for so deserving a man.  
  
"Is there a problem, or maybe news?" Darien said, hinting again that his son should not wait and risk losing someone he cared about.  
  
"Dare..." Alyx said, elbowing him gently. She knew Ben looked at his relationship with Bethany much as she had hers with Darien. It wasn't a sore spot or anything, just a different view on the matter. And times had changed as well. Formal relationships could be and often were handled differently these days. Marriage of the type she and Darien had was, in many ways, considered archaic.  
  
"It's okay, Mom. Remember the first time I was out there?" Ben kept his voice quiet.  
  
Alyx nodded, setting her fork down. It wasn't something she was likely to forget. "Why?"  
  
He shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. For some reason, I've wanted to talk to you about it since I got back to the States."  
  
"Would you rather do this in person?" Alyx asked him, noting the signs of confusion mixed with worry on his face.  
  
"Not necessary, I don't think. Just... What was it he told you in the end?" Ben knew she had never really talked about that incident to anyone. Something about that child had affected her far more strongly than almost any other thing in her life.  
  
Darien had gone very quiet, not wanting to disturb the situation in any way. She could talk about everything that had happened during that trip except the child. Something about that boy had disturbed her so deeply that she could not seem to express it in words. She couldn't even explain it in the vaguest of impressions mind-to-mind communication allowed. It wasn't that she had blocked it or forgotten -- she had promised she would remember, and Darien knew she had -- but anything beyond that she could not seem to deal with.  
  
"He didn't really tell me anything before the place blew. Just a sense of peace that he would be free," Alyx answered in a tight voice.  
  
"Not then. When we were still inside the facility," Ben corrected.  
  
Alyx shook her head, feeling confused. "I... I don't remember him telling me anything once he offered to help. I made a promise, but that's all."  
  
Ben frowned. Something didn't feel right. "Are you sure?"  
  
Darien snorted. "With her memory? The only times I've ever seen her forget anything was after getting hit in the head hard enough to knock her out for several hours."  
  
Alyx laughed a bit wryly. "I seem to recall the first time that happened I also ended up blind for almost a week."  
  
"And things went downhill from there," Darien added honestly. That was the incident that had brought Chrysalis screaming back into their lives, after hearing little or nothing out of them for nearly two years. They had been a major headache ever since.  
  
"Sorry," Ben said, and Alyx just waved her hand. "Just one of my weird hunches I guess. Even I am not always right." He was pleased to see the strain she felt over the subject ease a bit. "I'm going to be in town next week; I was hoping we might get together."  
  
"Of course. I'll make sure the world behaves for as long as you need it to. We miss you Ben." Alyx smiled at him. Ben was, in some ways, her favorite child. Not due to favoritism, but because he was her first child with Darien. The first child of a new generation. The first child to be able to quicksilver without the need of science. He was her miracle.  
  
"Don't go to any trouble. If work happens, it happens." The words were sincere.  
  
"Ben, she's offering to take time off, don't ruin it for me." Darien winked at Alyx, so she refrained from any commentary.  
  
Ben laughed. He knew his dad would have preferred it if she had left the Agency after rescuing Dani, but at the time, she was needed. "I'm sending you some intel Marina thought you should see. I used the family encryption." Alyx nodded to him. "I'll call you when I get in town. Oh, and Mom?"  
  
Alyx looked at him.  
  
"There's always a back door."  
  
She sat there for a long time after the image had blinked out of existence. For some reason, those words had triggered...something in her.  
  
  
* 


	3. Chapter 3

*  
  
Alyx sat at her desk early the next morning. Dawn was just breaking, somewhere on the far side of the building. She could see the elongated shadows being thrown across the expanse of grass that lay below. The computer pad with Ben's downloaded information was hooked up to the computer display in her office. She watched as the scrambled information scrolled past, not yet ready to give the verbal command that would decrypt it. She had the odd feeling that Ben's question last night was anything but random. He still had that odd talent that had come from both her and Darien, and sometimes he was even able to control it to a degree. He had asked her about... about... damn. She still found it difficult to think about. Thinking about it hurt for several reasons, not least of which was the vivid and excruciating memory of the child's intrusion into her mind. He'd been so much more powerful than she, and had not quite had the control necessary to act without causing damage and pain.  
  
She had survived that initial encounter only because of Ben, who had somehow convinced the... the... being in that room that they were friendly. Then there had been... something. She shook her head, not wanting to call up the memories, not unless she absolutely had to.  
  
"Welcome foxy one," she said to the air -- this month's code -- and watched as the encrypted coding vanished to be replaced with information she could now easily read. A message light blinked in the lower left corner. She switched the images to the holographic display and requested playback.  
  
The image of Marina appeared, looking both relaxed and nervous at the same time. This was Marina the woman, the friend, not the President of Kanvia. "Alyx, your son has the most unholy luck I have ever seen. Not only was I debating how to send this to you, but I wanted to get Bethany out of my hair for a while. When is Darien going to convince Ben to drag her off and make the relationship official? They really need to start breeding before they are too old to enjoy it."  
  
Alyx chuckled, not surprised at the woman's comments. Bethany was a handful of energy and a perfect foil to Ben's far more laid-back disposition. It was amazing that after that meeting over a decade ago the two were still inseparable. They hadn't seen each other for five years after that, and yet, when they got back together, they had simply known. Much as she had about Darien. Even without her extra abilities she would have known he was going to be a huge part of her life. Of course, without those extra abilities, it wasn't likely they would have ever met, except maybe as enemies.  
  
Marina's voice sobered. "About three years ago, we noticed activity at the lake."  
  
Alyx held still, wanting to close her eyes but knowing she dared not, that she needed to see the expressions on Marina's face.  
  
"Apparently they had a secure storage facility that was not compromised during the destruction. They recently were able to recover all of their data, losing only what had not been transferred to disk and stored that day." Marina was trying to smile, but it was obvious whatever she had learned had frightened her. "My people were able to get copies and smuggle them out to me. I will be sending this information to others that I trust, in hopes of forestalling any potential problems that may occur because of this."  
  
Alyx watched as the woman closed her eyes and swallowed hard, holding back tears from the looks of it. "Alyx, because of your position as the Official I had to send this to you, but as a friend I wish it were unnecessary to burden you with this." She shook her head and wiped her hands across her eyes. "Come visit when you can. We would all love to see you and whatever family members can join you. You have a special place in our hearts."  
  
The image of Marina faded out, to be replaced by the prompt asking her if she wanted to proceed and view the information. Alyx watched the prompt blink as she thought about Marina's message. What could have possibly been in that data that so disturbed her, that had her so upset, so regretful that she had to share it? There was only one way to find out.  
  
Alyx opened the files and began to scroll through them, getting a rough idea of what was inside. Most of it was basic data on the various experiments. Disturbing, yes, but about what she had expected given what they had long since known about the place. It was the information about one particular experiment that made her pause and go back and reread the file from the beginning. It didn't take her very long to understand exactly why Marina was so reluctant to share this with her.  
  
What she found made her both unaccountably angry and sad.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The meeting got underway as scheduled. As was typical, Manda and Rose took over control of disseminating the information they had gathered. There wasn't all that much. They had the 'official' layout of the building, acquired from the blueprints, but who knew what modifications had been done over the years. As near as they could tell, Chrysalis controlled the entire building, but some of the floors were rented out to other businesses that, although legitimate, had connections back to Chrysalis.  
  
They needed to get to the twenty-fifth floor and into the secure computer room that was dead center in the building. Once there, they would need approximately an hour to download the information to disk before making their way out of the building again. Simple, right? When dealing with Chrysalis, nothing was ever 'simple.'  
  
"Are you sure we can't access the computer from the outside?" Alyx asked, hoping to avoid having to go into the building at all.  
  
"Yeah. We're sure." Dani answered. "Rose and I did a little recon last night. It's on a separate power source, and the phone grid is not tied into this computer. The few routes in that we did find are not strong enough for what we need. Near as we can tell it is data storage only, but it is protected by their AI."  
  
"Of course," Alyx muttered. "All right, Manda and Chris will stay with the van and run the Destiny program to control the building's security. They will have a full detail with them for protection." That got a round of nods. Neither Manda nor Chris had quicksilver capabilities, which were going to be needed for the actual infiltration. Having them run the program and play rear guard made sense. "Dani, you get to play courier..."  
  
That earned her a round of disagreement from just about everyone in the room, especially Dani. It was Chris' quiet voice that cut through the shouts.  
  
"Mom, she needs to be there. In the building." He was looking at her with those blue eyes of his, realizing that she wanted Dani nowhere near that building for a reason.  
  
"All right. Dani goes in," Alyx agreed reluctantly. She had been trying to protect her daughter and grandchild, but she'd had the feeling the effort would backfire just as it had. "That makes it Rose, Dani, Ketter, and Franks." She paused, nodding to the two I-Men in the room.  
  
Ben's words suddenly shouted across her mind. 'There's always a back door.' "And I'm going in as well." That was the one scenario that she had not seen in her dreams; she had never been in on the raid. Had always arrived too late to do much more than hold those dying in her arms.  
  
Once again, there was argument from most of them. Chris looked on rather thoughtfully, not quite as if his intuition had kicked in, but more if he was wondering what she knew that he didn't.  
  
"Enough!" Alyx shouted, silencing the protests. "Rose how are you at handling AIs?"  
  
Rose shook her head. "Nowhere as good as you. Your reaction time is still faster. In the sims I usually crap out in under ten minutes."  
  
"And you, Dani?" Alyx turned to her eldest. "Think you can distract the AI for the hour we need?"  
  
"You know my abilities don't allow that." She tilted her head. "A point. You can distract the AI, Rose can pull up the info faster, and I switch the disks."  
  
"And Ketter and Franks guard our backs. We'll get no second chances on this one, folks. We have a tight ninety-minute window." Alyx waved off the display. "I want security schedule, cleaning schedule...hell, I want to know if the guy in cubical three tends to work late every Tuesday so he can boink the cleaning woman." That got a laugh from the room. "Find me the best ninety-minute window. We'll go tomorrow night."  
  
There was a few more minutes of discussion before they filed out of the room, leaving Alyx standing in front of her desk looking at Chris, who had remained behind. "Problem?" she asked, turning away and walking over to the window looking out across the city.  
  
"You tell me. Darien told me you haven't been sleeping well for weeks, and today you just feel wrong to me." He had moved up behind her, looking over the top of her shoulder without really seeing the view. He was just trying to feel without being intrusive about it.  
  
"I heard from Marina. The Chinese government managed to retrieve data from that lab," she said quietly.  
  
"Damn. What can we do?" He wanted no repeats of the experiments done there.  
  
"We are doing it. That lab was funded by Chrysalis. That... the..." She still couldn't bring herself to say anything.  
  
"He was a failure?" Chris supplied, but she shook her head.  
  
"He was a success, but they had no control. The lab was to break...him." Alyx somehow got the words out around a throat gone tight. "We are going to stop them. Once and for all."  
  
"Mom, you know we might not succeed." Chris set a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer what comfort he could.  
  
Alyx snorted. "Tell me something I don't know." She turned slightly and looked up at him. "I've made the info available, but to the family only, for now. Look it over when you get a chance."  
  
*Mom, what else?* Somehow he knew this more intimate contact would make it easier for her, would help with that ache he could feel on her soul.  
  
*Later. My heartache can wait until later.* She gave him a half-hearted smile and patted him on the arm. "We have a world to save first."  
  
Chris got a flash of something, a hint of what she had been dealing with, why she had seemed so sad and tired lately. *You can't be responsible for everything. You're only human.*  
  
She turned away, looking back out the window without really seeing anything. "I wonder. Am I?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The hammock swayed slowly back and forth in the warm evening air, and they were simply enjoying being near one another. Alyx's fingers were tracing lightly across his skin, still damp after their evening swim. For some reason tonight she was going over the scars he had collected over the years. The small circle on his lower back from the bullet that had left him paralyzed for several weeks. The burn from an electrical fence that had gotten him on one mission. The long thin line that curved around his side from a close encounter with a knife.  
  
It was nice to see the absence of bruises that he'd always seemed to sport in those long ago days. She had tended to get hit in the face a lot, and always seemed to have a bruised cheek or black eyes. He had inevitably gotten hit or kicked in the ribs, leaving him a mass of purple and blue bruises. Being as skinny as he was, he bruised like crazy. He hadn't had to deal with anything like that for a long time, and she had to admit it was nice not worrying about how badly hurt he was going to be after the latest mission.  
  
"Dare, why didn't you ever try and talk me into quitting the Agency?"  
  
"Huh? What brought this on?" He turned his head slightly to get a better look at her.  
  
She shrugged. "Not entirely sure. Guess I'm just thinking about some things."  
  
"Those dreams, still?" He didn't really want to move. Her touch, light as it was, felt wonderful, and he didn't want her to stop.  
  
"No, at least not like before." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I looked over the information Marina sent me... I..." She shook her head, not sure how to broach this subject. "There are some things that must to be done and I need to know if you'll do them. In case something happens to me."  
  
"Nothing is going to happen to you." He was a bit more forceful than he intended, and she reacted with a wry grin.  
  
"Of course not, but if it does I need you to take care of it for me, please." Alyx ran her had along his face, trying to erase the worry lines that had appeared. "It's important."  
  
"What is it?" he asked, still uneasy about the subject. Twice before he'd had to deal with what he'd thought was her death, and other times had been forced to deal with her being severely injured. He hated it. His life had become so entwined with hers, and he didn't think he could bear to lose her. He didn't want to think about, much less talk about, even the possibility that she might die. Tomorrow or at any time in the future, no matter how inevitable death might be.  
  
"Not important tonight. We'll go over it together after this is over." Not changing the subject, though it seemed that way at first, she asked, "You're doing the Brambaugh building tomorrow night?"  
  
"Yeah, early. Then an eight AM meeting, so I won't make it home after. We'll have to head to the office and write up the report before the meeting." He rolled so that he could look up at her where she sat cross-legged beside him.  
  
"Then we really need to discuss this now. We're making our attempt tomorrow night as well." She watched him carefully and could see the discomfort on his face. "You are stronger than you think."  
  
He shook his head, not really disagreeing, but unsure what to say.  
  
"Dare, when have you relied on me for anything? Or I on you? If something happens, to either of us, I'd like to think we're wise enough to deal with it in an intelligent manner. Mourning is one thing, but to feel completely lost is another." She remembered quite well what he had gone through before, difficult for one with her abilities not to know.  
  
"Alyx, I don't want to talk about this." His voice was cold. "We are going to be together for a long time to come."  
  
Alyx decided to let it drop. She didn't want to fight with him over it. It had been sheer hell getting him to make arrangements with life insurance and stuff years ago. Only Alyx's commentary that it was necessary for the kids got him to do anything at all. She understood why, that it involved far more than just her. It went all the way back to the death of his mother, and each new death of someone he cared about just made it worse for him. Losing Bobby a couple of years ago had hit him very hard; it had been months before he had come back to himself. He still wasn't able to talk about Bobby, though she had caught him looking at pictures of his old partner and friend in recent months. She had hoped he'd moved on, but obviously not.  
  
"For as long as you want me. You should know that by now." Alyx gave the old answer and it seemed to ease the discomfort he was feeling.  
  
He sighed. "I know I'm gonna have to face this, but not today. When we're old and gray." He shifted, encouraging her to do so as well, and ended up lying with his head resting on her stomach, arms coiled snugly about her, as she laid back in the hammock.  
  
She snickered. "Haven't looked at me lately have you?" Her hair had been going more and more silver over the years, and she didn't hide it. "You do realize how old I really am, don't you?"  
  
"Alyx," he growled at her. Yeah, he knew. Knew how old he was as well. It didn't matter to him. "When we actually look and feel old and gray, then."  
  
She laughed quietly. "Back to my original question. Why didn't you ever try and talk me into leaving the Agency way back when? I seem to recall trying to convince you to run off a couple of times, but you always stopped me."  
  
This subject was, in some ways, even more difficult to deal with than... than that other subject. "Do we have to do this now?"  
  
"I've been wondering for, what, almost thirty years? I'm curious. Maybe wondering 'what might have been' a little. Maybe trying to understand what you saw in me besides pity." One of her hands traced lightly through his hair while the other ran across his shoulders and back.  
  
He actually chuckled. "Me? Some days I still have trouble believing you were willing to have anything to do with me."  
  
"And how could I not? And I'm not talking about being shoved together by Charlie. I've told you before, I was hooked within five minutes of meeting you. It just took me a long time to admit it is all." She closed her eyes, allowing those old memories to come back. "I was just as hurt and angry as you were, but you were able to sympathize with my situation, while I wanted to hate everything, wanted to escape by any means." Her voice dropped becoming softer. "Some days I hated you for making me care again."  
  
"I know, but I can't say I'm upset about the way it turned out." He turned his head so that he could look at her. "As much as I hated the situation that I, and later we, were stuck in, there was just something about the Agency that we both needed."  
  
She snorted and grinned. "You hated working there for a long, long time, and then one day the hate left and it just became another part of your life. Not the best part, but part." She'd always been careful, even to this day, not to read him unless necessary, but she could not help but pick up his general feelings. "And it wasn't me that caused the change."  
  
"You were part of it, but so were... Bobby and Claire. Even Charlie and Kevin a little. I couldn't run off with you those few times you asked because I knew you needed to stay. For yourself, for your kids." He lifted himself up and moved so that his face was above hers. "There always seemed to be another reason 'not' to leave. Another enemy that we would not be able to protect ourselves against without the help the Agency provided. That's why you're still there. We -- you, the kids, and the I-Men -- still have too many enemies, too many people who want what we have. I realized a long time ago the only way to stop them was to even the playing field. The Agency did that for us, without abusing us too much." He lay down then, his head close by hers. "There were times I truly hated Charlie and the way he used us, but it could have been worse. We both got a taste or two of being used for less-than-honorable reasons. I may have started out as a thief, but I was honest about what I did and I did follow my own code of honor."  
  
"Dare, you have always been a good man at heart. I know this. Even when plotting to steal some trinket, you always planned to make sure no one got hurt. I may not have necessarily approved of your hobby, but it was part of you." Alyx was looking off into the canopy of the trees above, listening to the slight breeze as it moved through the leaves.  
  
"'Hobby.' You are too forgiving. I was a troublemaker and it was the easiest way to rebel against the chains I felt I was held in. In many ways, it just made it more fun, more challenging, and you just watched or even helped." He tapped her on the nose. "And I did eventually figure out what you were doing. Keeping me out of real trouble."  
  
"Yeah, you did, but you didn't seem to mind. In fact, you thought it was fun to teach me the business." She laughed at him.  
  
"We taught each other a lot of things over the years. I want it to continue." His lips found the side of her neck and kissed her gently, causing her to shiver slightly.  
  
"So do I," she said quietly. Then she let what he was doing, his warm, living, presence, invade her senses. Allowing him to distract her from what she still felt was a necessary discussion. Not that she knew anything beyond what she had told him already -- she simply thought it was time for him to stop being afraid, not just of her death, but of death itself. And for some odd reason, even she wasn't quite sure why.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
//*Who are you?* The voice boomed in her mind and she threw herself backwards, smashing into the far wall of the shaft with enough force to see stars.  
  
She didn't notice; she was too busy grabbing at her head and screaming for the presence to get out of her mind. The invasion was more than painful -- it was as if every nerve was suddenly on fire, as if every part of her mind were being invaded, examined, and then tossed aside. In some vague, still-aware part of her mind, she knew Darien and Chris were holding her, trying to keep her from hurting herself as she fought with the... the thing that was trying to take all that she was.  
  
She could feel his mild surprise as he found himself attacked by Dani and Manda. The fear that ran through everyone as they watched her writhe and scream. Felt the distraction that Ben caused by offering to help.  
  
There was this odd pause, and she found herself standing in front of a small child on a grassy lawn that she recognized. "Balboa Park? Why am I here?"  
  
"It seemed to be a comforting location for you, and I thought it was beautiful." He looked up at her, trying to ease the fear she had of him. "I did not mean to hurt you. I didn't realize you weren't from here. That you were like me."  
  
Alyx snorted and squatted down before the boy. "I think not. I may have some talents, but you are so far beyond even me...." she trailed off. "Who did this to you? Why?"  
  
He shook his head. "I've always been like this. As to why, you of course. You and your family. There are those who covet your abilities, but know you and yours cannot be controlled. So they created me." He saw the sadness in her eyes and wished he could ease it, but not yet. There was more she needed to know first.  
  
"Damn it. I'm sorry. I can't help who I am. Let me help you." Alyx reached out and took the hand of the boy. In spite of the fact that she knew she wasn't really touching him, she made one of those connections she had learned to hate over the years. She tried to jerk away, but his grip only tightened.  
  
"Don't fear it. It makes you stronger." She stopped fighting his hold, fighting the rush of memories and emotions that poured into her. Stopped fighting a connection that should not be possible, should not exist.  
  
When he released her she sat down on the grass, which suddenly transformed into a beach. "Gods, what did they do? How many till you survived?" She brought her hands up to her face, fighting back the tears, anger, and despair that threatened.  
  
"I'm sorry. I did not realize what a burden it would be for you, but you needed to know the truth." He sat down beside her. "You understand why I'm here? At this place?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"There is one more thing you need to know..." Alyx turned to look at him a deep sadness already evident on her countenance. "We are always twins."  
  
There was another pause and then the world returned with a rush.  
  
Alyx felt the intrusion on her mind ease, the presence suddenly realizing that he was causing far more harm than he intended. She shook her head and relaxed in Darien's hold.  
  
"Alyx?" he asked her, feeling somewhat reluctant to release her hands.  
  
"I... I'm okay. We have to help him." Alyx looked at her husband and...//  
  
  
  
Alyx sat up in bed, feeling the dampness of tears running down her face. She had forgotten all of that, had forgotten the real truth of that day. He had seen to it, had buried it so deep in her mind that only a certain trigger, that he had to have arranged, would set it off in her mind. What the trigger was didn't even matter; it was done and she knew the truth. Somehow she would have to convince Darien that the information had to be followed up. A decade had gone by already and time was running out.  
  
Looking over at her sleeping husband, she came to a decision and climbed out of bed. Making her way through the darkened house, she ended up in her office. "System on," she said. "Message record, audio and video." She waited until she had received the computer's acknowledgment and then began.  
  
"Hey, Dare. Sorry to do this to you, but it's important. You know what happened if you're watching this, I'm just hoping you didn't take too long to get yourself together. Get comfortable 'cause I have a few things to tell you. About me, about you, about dying and about living." She laughed then. "The perfect quote comes to mind, thanks to you; 'Death is only the beginning'...."  
  
  
* 


	4. Chapter 4

*  
  
The morning meeting had gone just fine; they had a plan outlined that looked good and actually gave Alyx a bit of confidence. She'd gone back to bed after recording the message and, for the first time in weeks, had slept undisturbed, with nothing more than normal dreams like everyone had. Once all the basics had been laid out, she sent everyone home to rest, to sleep by preference, since the best window of opportunity would be at three AM and she wanted everyone fully rested and ready to go.  
  
Darien was, most likely, still at home, curled up in bed, not planning on waking till later in the early afternoon to head into the office and get ready for his job. He'd be long gone by the time she showed up to catch a few enforced hours of sleep. They would hook up sometime tomorrow to share adventures. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, they would be one short step away from ending any threat Chrysalis ever posed. Their supposed dreams of certain doom couldn't have been all that accurate or realistic if, after thirty years, it still hadn't come to pass. Alyx had always believed that any 'great cataclysm' would come only if manufactured by Chrysalis itself. The fact that the world was still here seemed to bear that out.  
  
Even after all these years, she still could not understand the motivations and reasoning that had driven them to the things they had done over the years. Seriously, if those in Chrysalis had taken the effort they put into 'protecting' themselves and redirected it into helping the world at large, their 'end of the world' drivel would have been unnecessary.  
  
Alyx shook her head and turned off the computer. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the window. From here she could just see the building they would be breaking into tonight. The scenes from her dreams still hung in the back of her mind, but with neither the force or nor the urgency that had been there previously. They were just something she was aware of now, and she wished it hadn't taken so long to put them into perspective. After this... after this, it was time to think about stepping down. Amanda was fully capable of taking over and handling the day-to-day stuff, and she knew the work inside and out. She'd been the right-hand person to several different Officials over the years, including her mother. She'd make mistakes at first, like anyone would, but she would do just fine.  
  
Going back to her desk, Alyx made a few notes in her private file and then smiled. It would be nice to have some time to herself. To just be with Darien without having to worry about work. Oh, it would be a few months yet -- there would be some things she'd need to finish up first -- but then, six months from now at most, she would step down. Walk away and never look back. The Agency would survive without her.  
  
Satisfied, she left the office and switched her focus to the night's work to come.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien got into his office just a few minutes late. Even after all these years, he still was late on a regular basis, but at least these days there was no one to glare at him or complain. He was the boss, and if he chose to delay a meeting it was his prerogative. And anyway, most of his work got done at night, so as far as he was concerned the rest of the world could just wait while he got the sleep he deserved.  
  
The rep from the Braumbaugh building had contacted him to say it was go for this evening. The computer's AI had decided to stop pouting and had integrated the new security. Darien and his two partners would hit the place fairly early in the evening, when the human security should be at its most alert. It might have seemed odd, but actually made sense: if they were able to get in and make the target when the security was at its peak, just imagine what could happen later at night when the guards became tired, bored, and distracted.  
  
Darien and his people had gone over the specs thoroughly, and had already found some obvious problems they planned to exploit. Thinking back, he chuckled, imagining how easy this place would be if he could still quicksilver. Even in this day and age, high quality thermal systems were rare and more often involved the temperature control system of the building instead of the security.  
  
Rubbing the back of his neck, a gesture that had become a habit after so many years, he let himself think, cautiously, of what Alyx had said last night. While he didn't 'feel' all that old and still enjoyed his work, he also didn't really need to work. Lately he had started to seriously consider backing off from active field work and just supervising. Maybe take the time to see the world. Maybe talk Alyx into joining him.  
  
After the last few weeks, he knew she needed a break. A big break. Maybe it was even time to convince her to step down, convince her that it was time she did something for herself and no one else. Pass that responsibility she had long shouldered on to someone with the youth and energy to deal with it. Not that she was no longer capable, anything but that, but she had spent two different lifetimes to get to this point and in neither one had she really done anything for herself. The first time had been for her family, just growing up, then her 'husband' and her kids. The second time around had been for the Agency, her kids still, and for the entire free world.  
  
She had sacrificed more than enough. It was time for both of them to spend a little time just for themselves, while they still had their wits about them to enjoy it.  
  
A decision made, he called his two partners in to go over the final plan for the evening. Even after all these years, this part was still so much fun.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They met in the big conference room on the third floor; the one attached to her office just wasn't big enough for this. Not only were they going over the final arrangements for the job, but they were also handing out the gear, including cold-resistant comp pads. They had destroyed more of those things over the years with the quicksilver than she cared to think about. Also included was a basic tool kit; this she had learned from Darien. Having lock picks, wire cutters and other basic yet simple tools at hand had saved many an ass over the years. Guns were standard issue, as well as any personally-preferred weaponry -- Alyx still carried around the butterfly knife Bobby had given her many years before.  
  
A new addition was the modified kevlar that was sewn into the sweaters and pants they wore. It wouldn't stop every bullet, but it had saved lives already. Over the years they had standardized the clothing for covert missions like this. There were some variances for style, but overall they were pretty much the same.  
  
Alyx was perusing the piles; something was missing, but she wasn't sure what it was.  
  
"I still don't like going in that service door. If something goes wrong, you'll be trapped in that hallway," Chris was saying again. He claimed it wasn't his intuition, just a dislike for this part of the plan.  
  
Alyx hit on what was missing. "Nose filters. Where are they?"  
  
"I didn't think they'd be necessary," Jackson answered. He was the one in charge of putting the gear together. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, not accusing, but wondering what he was thinking. "Based on the time specs, it seemed unwarranted, but you'll have them in twenty minutes." Alyx nodded, satisfied.  
  
"Manda, what kind of warning will you be able to give us if the AI spots you?"  
  
"No way to tell. It could be minutes or none at all. It'll depend if it gets curious or just sends the alarm." Manda answered with her best guess. This was the first time the 'Destiny' program was going to go up against an AI for an extended period. With its design, it should remain below the AI's level of detection, but one never knew, especially once the downloading had begun.  
  
"Good enough. Can we move the entry to the parking garage? It has no human guards after midnight and we won't have to deal with that hallway. It also has direct access to an elevator instead of having to wander that damn maze."  
  
Manda grunted and ordered the computer on. She went over the blueprints again, overlaid with the security schematics they had accessed. They knew the security info they had was only partial, but it did give them a place to start. Security was actually pretty tight, even without the human guard. The parking garage was for executives and special guests only and had parking for about a hundred and fifty cars.  
  
"We had dismissed this initially because of the area needed to cross, but I see your point. That hall just screams trap and it seems to be set up for the sole purpose of luring people in that way. We didn't like it, but it seemed to be the best option." She made a few changes on the screen incorporating data from their three forays into the building via the Destiny program. "Look, even the worm program is... is lured to this hallway. The parking garage is not exactly unprotected -- in fact it has damn tight security -- but we can control the security. Even give you locations through their own camera system as to where everyone is. Beyond that, you guys are fully capable of spotting and zapping any security that we miss or can't distract."  
  
"Fine. Re-time based on the new entry. Dani and I will handle the communications. There will be no headsets on this one." Alyx looked over at Franks and Ketter. Franks was new, only one month into his tour, while Ketter was one month away from losing his gland. Franks was damn good, and only getting better with his experience here. Ketter was one of those unimpressive but solid agents who found the advantage of invisibility to be just that: an advantage, and no more. The two men worked very well together, and Ketter was swiftly bringing Franks up to speed. She was truly hoping Ketter would be willing to stay on with the Agency after his I-Man tour was over. He was too good an agent to lose, even without the gland.  
  
Both men nodded to her. Neither one had a problem with mind-to-mind communication, and both knew the advantages inherent in it. There were some agents who were very uncomfortable with it, even after having been told, before they signed on the dotted line to join, that they would be required to deal with it. Mind-to-mind communication, whether by true telepathy or the mimic version that Alyx and Rose used, could and would be used when and where it was necessary. There was a code of sorts that had been worked out for those with gifts, including the gland, and it was strictly enforced. Some of them were just too powerful to not have some sort of rules. Alyx knew best the temptation that could arise from power and tried to make sure everyone knew the dangers, the rules, and the reasons for them.  
  
The discussion went on for about an hour before everything was finally settled and agreed upon as it could be. "All right. We gear up and meet at the rendezvous at 0200. I want this to go by the numbers if at all possible."  
  
There were nods around the room. Once the final decisions were made they worked together without argument.  
  
"Grab your gear and go." Alyx watched as most filed out of the room leaving her alone with Chris. Being scientist, doctor, and her son he was very sensitive to her emotional state.  
  
"Talk," he said once he was sure they were alone.  
  
Alyx smiled. "I'm fine."  
  
"That I can tell, but it doesn't mean you don't need to talk." He moved closer and sat on the table so that he wasn't so much taller than she. "I'll invoke doctor-patient privilege if you want."  
  
"No need, just keep it quiet for now." When he nodded, she continued. "I'm going to retire. This will be my last field assignment and then I'm going to phase myself out over the next six months." She tipped her head a bit to look at him. "I'm tired, Chris, and I want to spend part of my life on myself. I deserve it."  
  
"Yes, you do. I really wish we hadn't needed you ten years ago. You deserved to leave then; to go work with Darien on far less complicated things, but if you had..."  
  
"The Agency would still be a back-water pit and the world would be a far more horrible place than it is." She wanted him to understand that she didn't regret the time she had spent here, that it had been more than worth the effort and time she had put in, but that it was time for her to move on. "Whether or not we are successful tonight, I'm still going. The rest of you will manage, just like I did all those years ago after Darien left."  
  
"What will you do? I can't see you lazing about for more than a week or two without getting stir crazy." He was grinning. She deserved the break in her life, deserved some happiness she didn't have to fight daily for. "Will you still go to work with Darien?"  
  
"Maybe. I still have some things I need to do. Some promises I need to keep." Chris gave her an odd look. "Don't worry, I've handled everything. Now get moving. We do have to work tonight."  
  
"Slave driver," he said with a laugh and she mock swung at him. "You're the best, Mom."  
  
"Never forget it." She waved him away; she had a few things to do before they got moving on this.  
  
He paused in the hallway, arms laden with his gear, her words having struck a nerve. He got no flash from his intuition, no twinge that told him 'something' was going to happen, but her words hit home and he was suddenly afraid, for her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien hung from the climbing harness in the elevator shaft as Davis eased open the doors to the floor they wanted. Jacobs was distracting the security so that there would be no signal sent to the computer saying there was a problem. The AI was a new version and had too much free will, he thought. This newest upgrade was far too curious for its own good and could be easily distracted by false signals.  
  
Alyx had never really liked the AIs though she knew they were an inevitable advancement. They always made her feel sad, something so intelligent, so capable of learning, capable of emotion, to a degree, trapped within a building. Forced to do tasks that were far below its capabilities, treated like a thing, a slave. It just hit too close to home, reminded her too much of her early days at the Agency. She was convinced that was why some AIs crashed, she believed they went crazy. Supposedly they could not become self aware, yet they were designed to always learn. What happens to a person who suddenly learns they are a slave? At least a human had limbs to fight with, a voice to scream with. A lot of AIs had nothing but flashing lights and alarms, a few had taken control of the buildings they were in before being shut down. A few had gone the equivalent of being catatonic.  
  
Alyx refused to use them.  
  
"Fawkes, we're in," Davis said.  
  
Darien nodded and climbed the last few feet to join them in the hallway. He shook his head. "This place really needs work."  
  
"No kidding," Jacobs agreed. "My sixteen-year-old could break in here."  
  
"Your sixteen-year-old could break into the White House. She's good," Davis agreed.  
  
"We can discuss the merits of hiring her after she graduates," Darien pointed out. "We're nearly done. At this rate we'll be able to catch a few hours sleep before the meeting." This invasion had taken half the time they had expected it to.  
  
"Theresa will like that," Davis commented. "How about Alyx?"  
  
"Working," Darien answered, as he efficiently deactivated the laser grid without the AI even blinking. Of course, it didn't hurt that they had the latest toys available, including some they made in their own lab. "I think their AI is still pouting. This is too easy."  
  
Within ten minutes they arrived in the designated room and typed the command into the computer that would verify they had succeeded. Security showed then, human security, and they went through the routine. The security team was suitably embarrassed and blamed it on the AI system. Darien and his men pretty much agreed. They downloaded the information they needed for their report and then headed to their homes. They would each write up a preliminary report and then detail their experience with the owners in the morning. They had lucked out tonight and wouldn't need to catch naps at the office.  
  
When Darien got home, it was just after one. Alyx, he knew, would already be incommunicado. He took a quick shower and changed into sweats and a T-shirt before heading to her office to write up his report.  
  
He was typing along quietly, trying not to let his disgust of the lack of security show up in his words, when he noticed the 'message stored' light blinking on the computer. Odd. If it had been one of the kids, the computer system would have notified him. Same with Alyx. Instead it was blinking the code for delayed delivery and, when asked, the system showed a delivery time scheduled for late tomorrow.  
  
Inordinately curious, he decided he didn't want to wait. He set about accessing the message, even though the computer didn't really want him to. In the end he used a code of Alyx's that she didn't know he knew. In fact she'd probably be pretty angry when she found out, but right now he was too interested in finding out what the message was to worry about how she would feel about the situation.  
  
It took a few minutes, but eventually her image popped up across the room. She was wearing a pair of beat-up shorts and a T-shirt, just like she always wore to bed. She was smiling, relaxed.  
  
"Hey, Dare," she began, as she made herself comfortable on the sofa in the room. "Sorry to do this to you, but it's important. You know what happened if you're watching this. I'm just hoping you didn't take too long to get yourself together."  
  
Darien sat there, stunned, unable to turn off the message, to block out her words. Unable to react beyond staring at the image before him.  
  
"Get comfortable," Alyx continued, "'cause I have a few things to tell you. About me, about you, about dying and about living." She laughed then. "The perfect quote comes to mind, thanks to you; 'Death is only the beginning'...."  
  
When the message finally ended, Darien sat frozen in place for a long, long time. Somehow she had said all the right things -- things he had needed to hear for a long time, things he had been afraid to face -- leaving his heart lighter. And then... then she had dropped the bombshell. Asked him to do what she could not. To correct something that had been begun even before the day she'd been born. He was terrified to believe it might be true, but after all the things he had seen.... Yeah, it probably was. Hell, look at Jase; he was living, breathing proof.  
  
Shaking himself out of his stupor, he glanced over at the clock, feeling the sudden desperate need to speak with her. The lighted numbers informed him he was far too late. With a sigh he got up and shut off the monitor, leaving the room in darkness.  
  
"Ah, hell," he muttered. "Damn it."  
  
  
* 


	5. Chapter 5

*  
  
The vans were parked as unobtrusively as possible in a darkened alleyway, a block or so from the building. Once they were certain the Destiny program was in, the five would make their move.  
  
Alyx looked over at Manda where she sat in front of the computer. After a few more adjustments, she nodded. "We're in and we have control."  
  
Alyx looked at the four going with her. "Let's move."  
  
There was no commentary as the quicksilver began to flow. One of the most useful improvements since early days of the quicksilver gland was elimination of the time limit. Franks and Ketter could hold the quicksilver just as long as the rest of them, provided there were no major distractions. Both men were good; any distraction serious enough to break them out of quicksilver would also cause the QSX agents to lose their hold.  
  
Glanded agents were not allowed into the field until they had mastered this. In all the years since the temporary gland had been developed, there had only been two agents who had failed. Other work had been found for them and their records still proclaimed them as I-Men, for neither of them had been at fault. In one case the gland had been faulty and in the other the agent had had an undiagnosed condition that affected control of the gland. That second man, in fact, had stayed on at the Agency and had become one of her better operatives.  
  
They moved off at a light jog to the side of the building where the entrance to the underground parking garage was located. They could easily see the cameras on both sides of the huge metal gate blocking their way.  
  
*Open sesame,* Alyx sent to both Chris and Manda, earning a couple of mental chuckles. Keeping the commentary light and even silly was something she'd picked up from Bobby and Darien over the years. Trading jokes and barbs was something they had done from the beginning to ease the tension. It had taken her a long time to be that at ease; she had usually been the serious one of the bunch and had often found their shared patter both irritating and repetitive.  
  
Now she not only recognized the benefits of that practice, she found she sorely missed it. When she led missions, therefore, she tried to create work patterns that were similar. Yeah, it was silly in a way, but it worked. She could feel the tension ease in those she was with, especially in Franks, who was feeling a great unease about this particular job. She had to give him credit, though -- he was not about to let that stop him. He was going to be a hell of an agent one day.  
  
The sound of the gate moving up and out of the way brought her attention back to the moment. It had only been a few seconds, nothing to worry about. She often put her mind into neutral while waiting.  
  
*You're clear. Camera control in the garage is ours. There are no motion or sound sensors that we can detect, but be careful,* Chris sent to them.  
  
*Got it,* Dani replied as she accompanied Rose under the gate. Ketter and Franks followed, with Alyx taking up the rear. Both Alyx and Rose were keeping their energy-sniffing senses open for any security devices that Chris or Manda weren't picking up, but so far everything seemed just as planned.  
  
They made their way across the echoing expanse of parking garage, noting the few cars parked here and there. Chris and Manda were working on a count and location of those inside and would give them more than enough warning if they were going to encounter anyone. Not that they would be seen unless those inside wandered about wearing thermal glasses.  
  
*Take the service elevator. Third to the right,* Manda directed.  
  
Alyx sent a wordless response and followed the glowing outlines of those with her. *Time?*  
  
*On track,* Chris replied.  
  
Once they were in the elevator, Rose sent word to Manda and it began to move. When the doors opened, they cautiously stepped out into the hallway, expecting trouble even though they had control over most systems. Manda and Chris took turns giving a running commentary on the security as they made their way down the halls. Their destination was the center of the building where the database was located. Alyx sensed something up ahead and moved to the front of the group.  
  
*Do you pick it up Rose?* She broadcast this to everyone so as not to have to repeat herself.  
  
*Yeah. Good one, too. Has the thermal modification,* Rose replied the same way.  
  
*Damn,* rolled over their minds. *It must be part of the computer's separate system. We don't see it.* Manda sounded frustrated.  
  
*We'll just do it the old fashioned way then.* Alyx walked over to what appeared to be the security input but turned out to be nothing more than an intercom. Obviously one needed to be 'buzzed' through this one. Looked like she was going to have to negotiate with the AI a bit sooner than planned.  
  
*All right. Watch my back.* Once she received acknowledgment, she shed the quicksilver from her palm and set it over the intercom. With an ease acquired through many years of practice, she slipped into the system. It didn't take her more than a second to realize that this AI was big, fast, and very aware. Currently it was amusing itself with some sort of diagnostic in another location. She was able to sneak around it and turn off the laser grid without catching its notice or setting off any back-up alarms. *Go.* she sent as soon as she pulled back out.  
  
There was no hesitation and no fear -- they trusted her to have shut it down -- as they simply walked through the hallway. Turning left at the next corner, they were confronted with yet another problem. Alyx was forced to yank Ketter back around and away with a bit more force and speed than she typically needed.  
  
*What?* Dani asked.  
  
Rose answered, *Enhanced temperature system. Designed to signal for variances of more than a degree. In either direction.*  
  
*We'll set it off,* Ketter commented flatly.  
  
*I'll take you through one at a time.* Alyx said to them. One by one, she walked them through, using her unique talent to counter the intense cold of quicksilver with an illusion of room temperature. It was hard work and took far longer than they liked, putting them behind schedule.  
  
*We need to hurry,* Dani said unnecessarily. They ran into no more problems in the halls and a short time later stood before the steel doors that opened into the computer room. Rose was able to handle the security lock without too much effort and Alyx took control of the cameras inside the room, looping images so that they would not be seen and no one would notice an entire room full of cameras suddenly going on the fritz.  
  
They shed the quicksilver as one. Ketter and Franks pulled out their weapons and took their places at the doors to guard the rest as they worked. Dani and Rose went to a computer station that had the access they needed while Alyx moved to another. This was the tricky part. Alyx took a deep breath to center herself. *Give me five.*  
  
She opened her mind and slid into the system. Right now her objective was to simply keep the AI from noticing what they were doing, so she went about setting up what was necessary to do so. When the five minutes out in the real world had passed she felt the data transfer begin and increased her wariness. It was going to a take at least an hour to transfer the information to disk, even with Rose helping to speed up the process. Alyx allowed a small portion of her attention to watch what they were doing and to do what she could to smooth the way.  
  
They were about halfway done with the download when the AI began to notice that something was odd. It wasn't them it noticed, though, it was the Destiny program. Curious, it moved to investigate this little intruder into its systems. It almost seemed amused at the little program. Destiny was seriously primitive in this day and age, which is why it worked. Worm programs like Destiny were thought to have been written out of existence by all the other advances. This happened to be one of those rare occasions where old tech could function with the new tech, and the AI seemed surprised.  
  
Instead of stopping the program, the AI instead began to follow the pathway it had used, the different systems it had accessed and altered. The trail lead right to that modified laser grid on twenty-five. 'Ah, crap,' Alyx muttered mentally to herself as she tried to hide what they were doing. She could swear she felt the AI breathing on her neck and simply held her place until the horrid feeling passed. It wasn't until she allowed herself to relax slightly that it spoke.  
  
*And who might you be?*  
  
Alyx managed not to jump out of her virtual skin and turned to look at the creature behind her. *Me? I'm just a little bit of gak in your system. I'll be purged in a bit.*  
  
She was nearly shocked back to reality when the AI laughed at her. *I've been warned about you. You work for the Agency, and I would guess you are the one they call the Official. Alyx Silver.*  
  
Alyx wasn't sure what to say. Most AIs were not nearly this articulate; they were given enough intelligence to do their jobs and enough personality to interact on a comfortable level for the humans, but usually not enough to be this ... this personable. *And if I was? What will you do, sound the alarm?*  
  
*It depends on how you answer my questions,* it replied, sounding amused. *Let's get more comfortable first.*  
  
Rose was the one who noticed that something was wrong with Alyx. She pulled completely out of the system and moved over to her mother, while Dani watched and kept the data moving. Alyx's skin had gone pale and she was sweating. Her breathing was erratic and shallow. When she checked for a pulse, Rose found it just as erratic as her breathing. Something was affecting her, something in the computer. *Dani, we have a problem.*  
  
Dani had been observing both Rose and Alyx and nodded tightly. *Do what you can, I'll keep downloading.*  
  
Rose focused her attention on Alyx, laying one hand gently along the side of her face to increase the contact. It had taken her years to master this, and she still wasn't as good as her mother. Slipping in, she found herself blocked. She could just barely feel Alyx, along with something else, something powerful. That was what had made the wall keeping her out. For an instant she felt it turn towards her, focus on her, and she hurriedly backed away. She found herself sitting on the floor, her head aching from the casual contact.  
  
"Rose?" Dani asked aloud in concern.  
  
Rose shook her head. "Just hurry."  
  
Alyx found herself sitting on the rocks of the ugliest beach in San Diego, Kensington Beach. The place was beyond ugly. It smelled, the pier ruined the view to the north, but it was quiet and peaceful in an odd way. She had come here a lot those early days, to just be alone. To be where few others wanted to be, because she'd felt she did not belong in places where there was light and laughter and joy.  
  
She turned to the... the being next to her. *You're aware, aren't you? Self-aware?*  
  
It... he -- somehow it had resolved itself into a he -- laughed. *I'm as self-aware as they allow me to be.* He reached out and touched her. *Let me show you.*  
  
She suddenly found herself weightless, floating in an eerie darkness that nearly had form it was so thick, so choking. Voices could be heard, oddly muffled, distorted, and there was pain, muscles twitching, nerves firing, before sounds were resolved into something coherent. "Aural connection complete and functional. Moving to visual."  
  
The pain returned, a white-hot blast that left her blinded, her eyes tearing at the burning sensation. "Adjusting contrast." Images began to resolve and she could make out blurry shapes that moved. White shapes against a darker background. "Adjusting focus." More pain as they played with their switches and knobs until the image resolved itself into lab coated technicians.  
  
"Shall we attempt the vocal connection?" one asked.  
  
"No," a voice from an unseen source said. "Train it to use what it has, first. I don't want to hear the complaints and arguments. Plus the endless screaming is annoying."  
  
Alyx jerked back to herself with disgust and horror. *You... You're alive. A person. Not a machine.* She wrapped her arms tightly about her legs and tried not to shudder. *Who are you?*  
  
*We. We are two. She is not handling it as well. Tries to fight the programming that holds us.* He moved closer but was careful not to touch her. *She is very stubborn.*  
  
Alyx shook her head, her mind flooding with images. *How long have they been doing this?*  
  
*That information is not in my database.* He sat beside her, looking out over the memory of water, the sun setting in red and orange glory. *Help us.*  
  
*How?* Alyx couldn't bear to look at him. Every time she did, she saw that child, heard him say 'We are always twins.' She did not want to think about the implications of that in this context.  
  
*There is programming that prevents us from doing some things.* His voice became earnest, pleading. *You can remove it.*  
  
*And you, both of you, would kill yourselves.* Alyx closed her eyes and swallowed hard. *I... I...*  
  
He did touch her then, let her feel what it was like to be them -- the constant pain, the constant threats, the fact that, though alive, they were not allowed to live. They were unwilling slaves and they wanted their freedom. *This is not a life and never can be. Help us free ourselves.*  
  
Alyx opened her eyes and faced him. *All right. Show me what you need me to do.*  
  
*Thank you. Follow and I will show you what is required.*  
  
The beach faded away and Alyx followed.  
  
  
  
Alyx came out of the computer to find Rose shaking her and on the verge of hysteria. "Thank god. We were getting worried."  
  
"Are you done?" Alyx asked, getting to her feet a bit shakily.  
  
"Five minutes ago," Dani answered, her voice tight. "We're almost twenty minutes behind schedule."  
  
Alyx shook her head. "No matter. Are you there?" she said to the room. Both Dani and Rose thought she was crazy for a moment, until a voice echoed into the room.  
  
"I am. You must hurry. She was impatient and refused to wait. They will be here soon."  
  
Rose and Dani looked at one another in surprise. Franks and Ketter froze, stunned.  
  
"Is the security disabled?" Alyx asked, heading towards the door.  
  
There was laughter. "For you it is. I will keep those inside busy while you leave. I will give you warnings when I can."  
  
Alyx waved for them to move. Ketter opened the door and carefully checked the hallway. "Clear."  
  
"Go," Alyx said. They quickly made their way back to the elevator and down to the garage. When the doors did not open at first, Alyx was afraid that he was double crossing her.  
  
"They are heeeere." The voice was strained, and Alyx suspected why. "I'll do what I can, but... but..."  
  
"Thank you." Alyx didn't need him to finish.  
  
"No, thank you." This voice was female.  
  
The elevator doors opened, revealing the darkened garage. *Manda, we're heading out, but are expecting company. Hold your position.*  
  
This scene Alyx recognized. She'd dreamed it a hundred times, in a hundred ways. The sound of the gate being smashed in, followed by shouts and the squealing of tires, came as no surprise to her. Time paused.  
  
It was decision time. Who would guard their retreat, allowing the rest to escape before all of them were trapped and the entire mission was a failure? Ketter and Franks? They would lay down their lives gladly, she knew this, but she couldn't allow it. Rose, who would make it out of the building only to then be killed? Or Dani, who would be captured instead of being killed? Or perhaps any of the unsuccessful combinations thereof?  
  
Ben's voice cut across her mind then, practically screaming. 'There's always a back door.' Alyx suddenly knew what he'd meant, knew what she needed to do. She'd always sworn she would go to any lengths for her family. Now was the time to prove it.  
  
Time sped up, returning to normal. "Go!" Alyx shouted at them. "Ketter, Franks, make sure they get to the rendezvous."  
  
"Yes ma'am," they said as one, shifting closer to Dani and Rose and trying to get them to move.  
  
"Mom?" Rose looked confused.  
  
"I'll keep them busy till I get the confirm from Manda," Alyx barked. "Now shoom and go."  
  
Alyx left them then, charging towards the cars roaring into the garage. She could feel the reluctance of her girls, but knew they were following her orders. They knew getting the information out took priority. It had to, no matter what their personal feelings.  
  
*We'll come back,* Rose shouted, not willing to just abandon her to Chrysalis.  
  
*Go, damn it!* Alyx ordered. The longer they delayed, the more likely they could be hurt or killed.  
  
The first car swung into view then. Alyx reached out with her mind and shoved it as hard as she could into a supporting post of the building, nearly folding it in half. A second car she casually flipped over onto its back, leaving the occupants to crawl out, dazed and bloody. Too bad that in this day and age there were no gas tanks; she would have gladly triggered an explosion or two to add to the destruction and damage.  
  
She knew others had gotten in and were circling around behind her, but she ignored them for the most part. She casually tossed a few of the men as they appeared, making sure she kept their focus. She needed to hold everyone's attention and keep them from noticing the others as they made their escape.  
  
Not that she stood and waited for them to shoot at her. She made her way from post to post, behind cars, across open space, but in the opposite direction the others had taken. She was slowly making her way to the only other egress that did not involve going back through the building. She had considered trying that, but guessed she would not be able to hold all of their attention with a chase through the hallways and out another exit. They would catch on that it was a distraction, a lure, and begin looking to find out why.  
  
She could see the entranceway when she was finally hit solidly, and gods did it hurt. She spun about and dove behind the nearest post. Looking at her shoulder, she was surprised not to find any blood. Another shot that burned by told her what she'd been hit with. A laser pistol. They were still very rare as of yet, but Chrysalis had obviously created a working model and had nailed her with it. Her entire right arm was numb now, hanging uselessly at her side. The kevlar sewn into the sweater, so effective against projectile weapons, had simply melted like butter at the touch of a high-intensity laser.  
  
"Shit," she muttered. Luckily the counter for lasers was very simple for her -- she quicksilvered. Stepping out from behind the pole, she was tagged almost immediately with another hit, but except for a momentary sensation of heat, she was unhurt. The blast simply slid across and around her, punching through the car behind her. There was a scream of pain as it obviously hit someone hidden either within or behind the car before dispersing completely.  
  
"We can still see you," a voice taunted.  
  
Alyx wasn't surprised, even with the lack of obvious thermal glasses. She knew Chrysalis had created simple ones that could be worn as contacts, and it was evident they were all wearing them. Wanting to keep their attention, and unable to resist an urge to goad them a bit, she called back, "So? It doesn't mean you can hit me."  
  
Alyx moved from where she was and towards the next post, one step closer to her freedom. Bullets began to fly then, and she did her air-wall routine to stop them -- there were too many to simply deflect. It wasn't as easy as it sounded -- nothing was never as easy as it appeared to be.  
  
She still had their attention, had them focused on her, when Manda finally all but shouted in her mind, *We have it. Dani is on her way with bodyguards. We're coming to help. Just hold on.*  
  
Alyx didn't take the time to respond. She was busily trying to keep the bullets from getting to her, but she was getting tired. Her little adventure with the AI had taken more energy than she had realized. She kept moving, making it all the way to the ramp that lead outside, to potential freedom, only to have the route blocked by the arrival of more Chrysalis men.  
  
Alyx swore. Enemies before, enemies behind, and she was running out of strength. Everything seemed to slow; sound became distorted as memory intruded again. She tried to fight it, but it was insistent. She found herself back on that beach, this time with not one but three presences standing before her. Two male and nearly identical, the other female. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see them. *Haven't I done enough?* she shouted at them.  
  
*Not yet.* That came from the child, and she knew this was another of the memories he had buried in her. *You know what will happen. You've always known*  
  
*You freed those you could. Now it's our turn.* That came from the AI of the building.  
  
Alyx shook her head, not understanding.  
  
*By choosing the path you could not see, you provided the key. That 'back door' your son spoke of.* The child said with a grin.  
  
*You have been as much as slave as we.* That from the female AI.  
  
*No, I chose my chains.* Alyx opened her eyes to look at them as they crouched before her. *I could have left the Agency any time.*  
  
The child laughed. *Not those chains. These.* He touched her then, and there was a sharp pain in her mind.  
  
She found herself back in the garage, bullets stopped all about her, men frozen in place, some in the midst of shouts. She was confused; her head ached, not as it did when she was nearing overuse, but like when she was on a high doses of the neurotransmitter enhancement drug she'd once used on occasion. A cool ache of pure power. She'd not touched any N.E. since well before she'd become pregnant with Ben. Once she had a child, an infant, the use of N.E. was a risk she was no longer willing to take. She had never looked back on it.  
  
*It was a crutch. You never needed it. They made you forget after the destruction, fogged your memory of the time before. They made you think you were less that you were.* That was the AI, both of them. Somehow she could hear them even without a direct link to their systems. They were fading fast, having initiated the emergency shutdown protocol that had been designed for use only if they went fully out of control. *We've removed your fetters, just as you removed ours.*  
  
Alyx remembered. Remembered how easily she had been able to control things even without training. How many minds had been in hers when the inhibitors wore off, how simple a thing it had been to smash a window or deflect a dart. How many times she had shredded the padding of her cell or freed herself from the restraints they kept her in for so long. How much power she could grasp and play with.  
  
How she had hated those people for taking her away from her life. They had been working on making her forget even before Mikey had showed up, else he would have never been able to convince her to gain control. She hadn't wanted control, she'd wanted freedom, wanted release. Those power tests hadn't been to see if they could increase her power -- she'd already had more power than they knew how to deal with -- they just wanted to see if they could control her.  
  
They had failed, but because of that failure had succeeded in a way. They had taught her to hate and fear herself, so she had finally accepted the chains they hadn't been able to force upon her. She'd bound them about herself so tightly that she had even decided to die rather than unleash even her diminished power ever again. Until the Official stepped in. Until Darien. She had remained in her fetters, unknowing, until now.  
  
A bullet impacting her already injured arm brought her back to reality. She had allowed both the quicksilver and the wall to drop away in her shock and surprise. She was still more than a little dazed and simply turned and ran for the freedom, the open air that was a few short feet away. Someone had gotten control of the mangled gate and it was lowering quickly into place. With less than a thought, she blasted out and the gate folded, curling up about the edge of the building and jamming into place.  
  
Bullets flew from in front and behind as they closed in on her. For every ten she deflected or stopped, one got by. The kevlar was soon pockmarked and began to give under the assault. By some miracle none of the bullets hit her head -- all of those were fortuitously deflected away. The hail of gunfire only intensified as the minutes passed, and even she, even at her full, true power, could only deal with so many.  
  
Shouts from the street and more shots told of the arrival of her friends, her family. Those before her turned to deal with this new threat, including a very pissed off pyrokinetic who did not hesitate to set anyone who blinked wrong on fire. Alyx turned to those behind her and did the simplest thing she could -- with a telekinetic shove, everybody within reach was flung backwards. Then she collapsed the roof of the tunnel into the garage, blocking the way for the time being.  
  
She backed out onto the darkened road to help if necessary only to find that they had handled everything and, except for some minor resistance, the battle was over. They had all survived. None of her dreams had come to pass. A wave of dizziness passed over her and she went to her hands and knees. Her right arm collapsed, unable to support her weight and she found herself on her side. Panting for air.  
  
*Chris!* she heard Rose scream in her mind. Moments she found herself surrounded.  
  
"Ah, crap," she heard muttered by several voices.  
  
"That line will never die," Alyx chuckled, knowing it was true.  
  
"Take it easy. You'll be fine." Manda said to her as she gently rolled Alyx on her back to get a better idea of where she was hurt. The whimper of terror that escaped her throat pretty much said it all.  
  
"Mom, just try and stay awake. We'll have you someplace safe soon," Chris said as he checked her over. Burn hole through her shoulder. Two...no, three bullets into the torso. The kevlar was imbedded into her skin in places, she'd taken so many hits. Another burn, this one superficial, across one leg. Two more bullet wounds, one through her left hip and the other through her left calf. All in all, she was a mess.  
  
"Chris...." Rose was shaking and with his help they rolled Alyx to her side, where they discovered two more entry wounds.  
  
"Hell," Chris commented. "Where's the damn van?"  
  
Alyx observed all this with an air of detachment. They were alive. They had survived and they had succeeded. Chrysalis would be no more. Could she accept that? After all this time, yes she could. Her only regret was that she would not be able to keep her promise to Darien, that he would never have to deal with her leaving again. He would once again be forced to lose someone he cared about, and she would join the ranks of all the women who had left him. She wished she'd gotten the chance to say good-bye.  
  
She cleared her throat, ignoring the pain that had begun to invade as the adrenaline wore off. "Chris, hurry."  
  
  
* 


	6. Chapter 6

*  
  
Darien looked up from the blueprints on the table. He'd been describing how his people defeated the less-than-stellar security on the Braumbaugh building to the men who owned it.  
  
Rose was standing just inside the doorway. She didn't say anything, didn't smile, didn't blink. She didn't have to. The cold fingers of dread that Darien had been trying to ignore for the past several hours grabbed a hold of his guts and twisted. And yet, somehow, thanks to the words Alyx had spoken in her message, he was also calm. "Davis," Darien said quietly, "take over. I have to leave."  
  
"Mr. Fawkes, is that really proper?" Mr. Tackachi, one of the owners, sounded offended.  
  
Darien paused halfway to the door. "I apologize, but I have a family emergency." He didn't wait for any response and simply escorted Rose from the room.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Darien," Rose said quietly as they headed to the elevator. "I... I ... There isn't much time."  
  
Darien rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened? She gave me a rough idea of what was going on, what you guys were doing, but as usual she ..." He trailed off.  
  
"We did it. We broke them up. As of today, Chrysalis is a dead entity. Dani is taking the proof to the U.N. Council tomorrow," Rose answered, her voice tight and nearly emotionless. "She... she gave us the time we needed to get away with the information. Once it was secure, we went back for her, but it was too late. They had overwhelmed her. We... she..." Rose broke down then, unable to continue. Darien drew her into an embrace, offering what comfort he could.  
  
"Rose, it's all right. I think she knew this was coming," Darien told her in a hushed voice. "She began having dreams weeks ago. She knew the risks."  
  
If anything, Rose began to cry harder. "Why? Damn it. If she knew, why?" Rose wailed as she pulled away from him.  
  
"You know why." He gently took her arm. "Come on. You said we had to hurry."  
  
She sniffed and nodded. "My car's this way."  
  
  
  
The Agency had gotten new offices about five years ago, including a small but fully-staffed lab and hospital. With all their unique personnel, they found it simpler to deal with their own injuries in-house rather than mess with major security issues at places like Fort Leavitt or regular hospitals. This was not a new problem; it had been an issue even when Charles Borden had still been in charge.  
  
Chris intercepted Darien and Rose as they came in the door. "I'm sorry, Darien. We've got her stable for now, but..." He shook his head. "There wasn't much we could do."  
  
"Chris, don't." Darien set a hand on his shoulder. "Where is she?"  
  
Chris nodded, leading him down the various halls and stopping in front of a door. "She talked to me a few days ago, and I felt something.... It was vague, not really a premonition, but I can't help but feel partially responsible."  
  
"All of you..." Darien shook his head sadly, but he was nearly grinning. Every single one of the kids was just as selfless as their mother. Always trying to go one step beyond to get the job done, doing whatever they thought was necessary, including taking the blame. "She did what was right, just like always. And you know it. Have you called the others?"  
  
"They're on the way." He reached past Darien and opened the door. "Go on."  
  
Darien took a deep breath and then entered the room. He heard the door shut behind him as he walked over to the chair beside the bed. Sinking into it with a feeling of unreality, he gently lifted the small hand nearest to him and held it. Much to his surprise, her grip tightened.  
  
"Damn it, Alyx." This was surreal. An eerie reflection of that dream he'd had so very long ago. Her eyes opened and she turned her head slightly to look at him.  
  
*Sorry,* she sent to him.  
  
*Never.* He needed her to understand that he would never regret taking the chance to get to know her. *Without you, I would have been so much less than I am.*  
  
She wanted to argue, but couldn't. There were some truths that, though biased, were still nonetheless true. *At one time I hated you, for making me care about living again. Now I just wish I had one more day.*  
  
*You will have all the time you need.* Darien wasn't denying the reality of the situation; he could feel how badly she was hurt, even without knowing the gruesome details. He knew she was still here only out of sheer stubbornness. He reached over and laid a hand on her cheek, and she closed her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them again, he could tell she was no longer seeing anything in the room.  
  
*I don't want to say good-bye.* Her voice was a bare whisper, but he had no trouble hearing her. After so many years, this was nearly as natural for him as it was for her.  
  
*Then don't. You're not going anywhere.* He watched her as she lay there, her emotions washing over him, as well as her pain, her loss, her fear. *I love you.*  
  
*Ah, Dare. When haven't I loved you?* She squeezed his hand. *See it through for me, please?*  
  
Darien knew what she was talking about; somehow, in spite of everything, she still knew he'd already seen her message. He was tempted to tell her no, that he couldn't take up the burden. Not alone.  
  
*You won't be alone.*  
  
He nodded and closed his eyes. *I promise.*  
  
For a long moment he thought he'd been too late with his answer. Then there was a burst of emotion across his senses, and for one brief instant he felt everything. All that she knew, all she was, and all she could be.  
  
And then there was silence.  
  
He never even noticed when Chris walked in some time later to shut off the various alarms and monitors.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
--- Two weeks later ---  
  
Darien leaned against the door frame, looking at his son standing rather forlornly in the middle of Alyx's office. It had been a long, stressful time for all of them. First had come the task of telling everyone that Alyx was gone, really gone this time. In the midst of that had come the announcement before the U. N. Council. Somehow, Dani had held it together. Had gone through everything, proven beyond a doubt that Chrysalis existed and had been manipulating world governments for years as well a committing atrocities that involved children. Genetic manipulation with a very high mortality rate. Bribery, murder, extortion -- the list went on and on. It took the council less than an hour to order any and all members arrested for crimes against humanity.  
  
As of that moment, Chrysalis was a dead entity. Even those who had worked with them before would not touch them now, would offer no succor, would turn them in rather than be numbered among them. That Kaftka-like metamorphosis they were waiting for would never happen, or at least not the way they had envisioned it.  
  
Dani made it home in time for the formal funeral. The one that was observed by those in power, the one that meant nothing except a chance for those who were outside the family to acknowledge her passing. The numbers and importance of those who arrived to say farewell surprised many. Alyx had made an impression over the years, and there were many who wished to pay their respects, more than even she would have thought possible.  
  
The grave they all stood over was empty, lying near one that had been cared for by Darien for decades. At some point over the years, arrangements had been made for the brothers to be together when the inevitable happened. So Alyx was 'buried' near Kevin Fawkes and his wife Rachel, who had passed away herself several years ago after a long illness. There was a place waiting for Darien, right beside his brother, that he had no intention of using for many years yet.  
  
Today, though, had been the real farewell, the family's turn to say goodbye. A family that had grown amazingly over the years, and included several who were not directly related. Piotr and his entire family had come. Marina didn't even try and justify it to those she had to answer to; she simply packed and left, figuring things could take care of themselves for a few days. Bethany had stayed by Ben's side as much as possible, trying to comfort him, but he seemed inconsolable.  
  
The memorial service, which Alyx had pretty much outlined from start to finish, had taken place at sunrise on her favorite beach, her ashes scattered on the dawn breeze. Then they had gone back to the house, some of them walking around still numb and disbelieving, others reminiscing. Ben had sat off to one side in silence for quite a while and then, after some comment that caused laughter, had gotten up with a look of disgust on his face and gone inside. Darien had followed a few minutes later.  
  
"Talk to me, Ben."  
  
Ben lifted his head and looked at his father in anger. "How can you all be so... so casual about this? Especially you."  
  
Darien moved closer, but Ben backed away, not wanting contact of any kind at the moment. Somehow Darien knew nothing he could say would help him. "Ben..."  
  
Ben cut him off. "I saw this. All those years ago in Kanvia. Remember the snowball fight a couple of days before we left?"  
  
Darien nodded. It had been a hell of a lot of fun.  
  
"I knew it then. That one day she would face more than she could handle. That she would be overwhelmed and killed." He collapsed onto the sofa. "I swore I'd do everything I could to delay it, but instead I chose not to join the Agency, to build things when I could have been protecting her, making sure she lived." He stopped there choking back the tears that threatened. "And you don't even seem to care."  
  
"Damn it, Ben, that's not true and you know it." Darien sat down on the chair in front of her computer and tapped a few keys. "I hurt. I miss her terribly, and will for the rest of my life, but..." Ben lifted his head to look at him. "I plan to go on living." Darien sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "For a long time I feared death, feared losing others near me. Twice before I had to face losing Alyx, and neither time did I handle it well. I used to think that without her there would be no real reason to go on. But I was wrong."  
  
Ben shook his head, not understanding . He knew how his father felt about losing those close to him, had watched the despair he'd fallen into when Bobby died, seen how long it had taken him to accept it. He could not comprehend how easily he seemed to be dealing with... with this.  
  
"Your mom left me a message, just in case something happened to her. I discovered it and watched it early -- the night she was doing the job, in fact. She told me some things I had needed to hear for a long time. She'd tried to tell me in person, but like a fool I refused to listen." Darien smiled then, thinking of how much pain he could have avoided if he had just listened to her. "Part of it was to you."  
  
Darien pressed another key and Alyx appeared, sitting on the very couch Ben was currently perched uncomfortably on. "Well, Ben, I guess you're learning you are more like your father than you thought. I hope it hasn't taken him forever to get his act together and find the courage to watch this. There are some important things that need to be taken care of. Never mind what they are right now, he'll fill you in later. Right now you need to stop blaming yourself. You didn't cause this, or fail to prevent it." Alyx laughed. "This whole damn family takes the weight of the world on their shoulders, and we shouldn't have to. Hopefully this little adventure will be successful and we'll be able to sit back and just live for a while. We are still human, after all. Sometimes we forget that."  
  
Ben glanced over at his dad, who was sitting with a wistful smile on his face.  
  
"Ben, bring Bethany home. Marry her, formal partnership, whatever, but do it. You may think that in these times it's too big a risk, that something could happen because of who and what you are. You'd be right, but that is all the more reason to take the risk. To grab at the time you have, instead of not having any at all. You've known she was the one since you were thirteen; do you really want to wait longer?"  
  
Alyx's image got to her feet and moved over to the window. She spent a moment looking out at the night sky before continuing. "Ben, I know you're sad, and probably angry at yourself. Try not to be. I'd hate to think that, after everything I've gone through, all I left behind were people who were angry and lost. I'd like to think I was a good person and lived a good and worthwhile life. Celebrate it." Her image turned back to face them. "Don't wallow in guilt and misery, don't let your father do so. I'll always be with you. In your heart and in your mind. I won't say good-bye Ben, 'cause I'll never leave you as long as you want me there."  
  
The image faded out, and Ben turned to his father with tears in his eyes. "Dad?" He wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"I know. It still hurts, but it's easier now, isn't it?" Darien knew this. In some ways it was for the best that he had found and watched her message when he did. He might never have listened to it, otherwise, and even though she had placed a heart-aching duty on him, he knew he could do it. Knew he not only could, but would survive. Would live and enjoy his life. And someday, someday, he would be with her again.  
  
For another long moment, Ben held onto the pain and guilt, wanting to blame someone, anyone. Wanting to know why, wanting to understand. He knew he never really would. Finally he allowed himself to remember her, alive and happy, allowed the pain and despair to fade away. It was still there, but it was no longer the focus. "She's right, as usual."  
  
Darien chuckled. "She wasn't often wrong. She learned a lot over the years. Taught me a lot, too." Darien got to his feet and walked over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We just have to be willing to learn."  
  
Ben nodded and got to his feet as well. "I don't want her forgotten. I want everyone to be able to learn from her." His mind was already spinning with ideas. "A monument." He paused and looked at his dad. "Or is that too much?"  
  
"No Ben. From you, it's perfect." He urged his son towards the door. "Come on, we have a life to celebrate."  
  
  
  
// "I haven't a clue as to how my story will end. But that's all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, you don't conclude that the road has vanished. And how else could we discover the stars?"  
  
One story may have ended, but what it began, what was learned from it, shall continue on. Stars? Stars are the least of what we had yet to discover. //  
  
  
  
* 


	7. Epilogue

*  
  
  
  
Two years later ...  
  
  
Bethany looked over at Ben as she held the sleeping child. "Well, they are going to be here in less than an hour; don't you think we should have a name to announce?" She sounded far more amused than angry. Once they had known she was pregnant with a girl, they had tried to come up with a name and failed. They couldn't seem to find one they liked, so they had decided to wait, figuring once the child was born and in their arms they would be inspired.  
  
That hadn't worked either. They'd been calling her their 'little vixen,' partially out of the need to call her something and because of her hair color. His mom's genetics had gotten passed along yet again, and the baby had gotten a head full of vivid red hair. They had already decided not to name her Alyx in any form. In fact, the entire family had pretty much agreed to retire that name. It might be generations before there was another Alexandra in the Fawkes/MacTierney line.  
  
But thinking of his mother gave Ben a sudden burst of inspiration. "Beth, how about Michele?" He ran a finger through the tightly coiled curls on the infant's sleeping head.  
  
"Michele? Wasn't that your mother's real name?" It wasn't that she didn't like the name -- in fact, the more she thought about, let it roll through her mind, the more it seemed to fit. "Michele Caroline Fawkes," she said aloud, letting the name be heard for the first time.  
  
The infant began to shift as if in reaction to hearing her name, and Ben took her from Beth with a chuckle. "I'm guessing that's a yes. She seems quite happy with the choice." He could feel the infant's sense of pleasure at finally having the matter decided. She opened her eyes a moment later, and Ben received a bit of a shock.  
  
Michele's eyes had been losing that birth blue color over the past few days, becoming lighter. Both he and Beth had assumed she was going to end up with blue eyes, like the majority of the family, but apparently that was not to be.  
  
He looked at Beth in consternation and showed the child to her. She just shook her head in surprise and astonishment.  
  
"I wonder what Mom would have thought of this?" Ben said quietly, caressing the infant's cheek.  
  
The baby's eyes, instead of blue, had turned silver.  
  
  
Finis 


End file.
